Restaurants Canada congratulates Prime Minister-elect Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada on their historic win in the Oct. 19 federal election, and applauds all candidates for participating in the campaign.

As one of Canada’s largest employers – and the No. 1 source of first jobs for Canadians – the restaurant and foodservice industry looks forward to working with our new government to continue building job opportunities, vibrant communities and our culinary landscape.

“From small towns to major cities, Canada’s restaurants, bars and caterers are part of the fabric of Canada, serving more than 18 million customers a day,” says Donna Dooher, Restaurants Canada President and CEO. “We spark new culinary trends, we create thousands of youth jobs across the country, and we invest in local communities. We look forward to building on this winning recipe and being part of the dialogue on issues of importance to our industry and to Canada.”

Canada’s restaurant and foodservice industry directly employs 1.2 million Canadians, and indirectly employs another 282,000 Canadians. Restaurants Canada recently released the Top 10 Restaurant Ridings, based on employment. The riding of Vancouver Centre comes out in top spot with 19,680 people directly employed in the restaurant and foodservice industry. A full list of all 338 ridings is available on the Restaurants Canada website.